Kaikukortti celebrates 10 years!

With Kaikukortti card, young people, adults, families and seniors in a tight financial situation can obtain free tickets and course places to various cultural events and adult education centres. Kaikukortti venues offer their services on a good will and value-based basis – without separate compensation. Kaikukortti is a wonderful example of the social responsibility of the arts and culture sector and promoting the accessibility of culture.

“Just getting the card – an overwhelming experience!”
– Kaikukortti holder, Espoo

Kaikukortti was launched in Espoo in 2015. The network has expanded rapidly in ten years. Now Kaikukortti is in use or in preparation in 120 municipalities and 13 welfare areas. There are over 400 social and health service providers distributing Kaikukortti, and Kaikukortti enables free entry to over 450 art and cultural venues.

Kaikukortti has been developed from the beginning together with people who have experienced poverty, cultural actors, social and health sector, municipalities and welfare areas. Kaikukortti activities are also continuously developed together with these actors.

Over the course of ten years, the card has not only opened doors to theatres, exhibitions and events – it has also brought joy, experiences and sense of community to tens of thousands of people. In ten years (until the end of October 2025), a total of over 98,000 Kaikukortti cards have been distributed and cards been used a total of over 268,000 times! Of these, approximately 60,600 tickets have been purchased for children. Shared moments around art and culture have created inspiration, inclusion and new encounters.

“I felt a moment that I have lived again.”
– Kaikukortti holder

Measuring cultural well-being

From the beginning of 2025, Kaikukortti’s renewed Kaikukanta database has been supplemented with indicators measuring the cardholder’s subjectively experienced well-being (SWB10) and the effects of Kaikukortti on it. Kaikukeskus will develop the measurement of cultural well-being from the perspective of Kaikukortti together with Kaikukortti network, so that welfare areas, municipalities and other operators in the Kaikukortti network can use the measurement data for data management. The use of Kaikukortti in the municipality is already monitored, for example, in the TEAviisari.

The need for Kaikukortti is growing

This week is the National Poverty Week (10–16 November 2025), which is arranged for the second time. The number of people experiencing poverty and exclusion is increasing in Finland. For example, according to the impact assessments of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (2025), the government’s cuts will drop up to 31,000 children below the poverty line. The number of households in financial difficulty has also increased for the third year in a row (Statistics Finland, Living Conditions Statistics 2024). Unfortunately, the need for Kaikukortti is only growing. When there is a shortage of even money for food, there is not a cent left to participate in culture.

Congratulations to the 10-year-old

To celebrate the anniversary, Kaikukortti has received several greetings and congratulations, emphasizing the idea that culture belongs to everyone. Congratulations, for example, from Suzanne Innes-Stubb, the spouse of the President of the Republic, President Tarja Halonen, and actor Kati Outinen can be read on Kaikukortti’s website (in Finnish).

You can read the full original news article on the Kaikukortti website.

The City of Oulu has been part of the Kaikukortti network since 2018. The Kaikukortti activities have been developed in particular by Jaana Potkonen (Executive Producer, Arts and Well-Being).